Rebel Rose (Queen’s Council #1), Emma Theriault ~ 4.0 Stars

Tags

Fairytales, French Revolution, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Political Intrigue, Romance, Suspense, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Disney-Hyperion for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: November 10th, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: Happily ever after is only the beginning as Belle takes on the responsibility of becoming queen and learns to balance duty, love, and sacrifice, all while navigating dark political intrigue—and a touch of magic.

It’s 1789 and France is on the brink of revolution. Belle has finally broken the Enchantress’s curse, restoring the Beast to his human form and bringing life back to their castle in the province of Aveyon. But in Paris, the fires of change are burning, and it’s only a matter of time before the rebellion arrives on their doorstep.

Not so very long ago, Belle dreamed of leaving her provincial home for a life of adventure. But now she finds herself living in a palace, torn between her past as a commoner, and her future as royalty. While Belle grapples with her newfound position, there are those who do anything to keep her from power.

When she stumbles upon a magic mirror that holds a dire warning, Belle wants nothing more than to ignore the mysterious voice calling her to accept a crown she never desired. But violent factions of the revolution may already be lurking within her own castle, and doing nothing would endanger everything she hold dear. With the fate of her country, her love, and her life at stake, Belle must decide if she’s ready to embrace her own strength—and the magic that ties her to so many female rulers before her—to become the queen she is meant to be.

Rebel Rose is the first in the Queen’s Council series, an empowering fairytale reimagining of the Disney Princesses—and the real history behind their stories—like you’ve never seen before.

It’s probably not a big surprise to you why Rebel Rose would appeal to me. First, there’s that gorgeous cover, and then of course, the continuation of Belle and the Beast’s (here known as Lio), story. Except for a couple of hiccups, I quite enjoyed it.

Surprisingly, the biggest issue I had was with Belle. For the first half she was almost unrecognizable as the character I’m more familiar with. Instead of the self-assured, intelligent Belle, this one was timid and full of self-doubt. She was also annoyingly unsure of what she should be doing in her new role. She obsesses too much over the title of Queen, and lets that get in the way of truly helping her people. Thankfully, in the latter half of the book, she begins to realize the power she holds if she’ll only accept it.

Lio, is very relatable, suffering from severe PTSD after being the Beast for ten long years. Adding to his torment is trying to ensure that the small kingdom of Aveyon isn’t dragged into the violent, political upheaval that France is devolving into. Unfortunately he’s sent off on a diplomatic mission early in the book which I understand is necessary to the plot, yet I found myself missing him and his interactions with Belle. They definitely bring out the best parts of each other.

The villain’s identity is known from nearly the beginning, yet his motivations are somewhat murky even at the end. As for the secondary characters, old favorites such as Mrs Potts, Chip, Cogsworth, Lumière and LeFou make a welcome return, as well as the mysterious Enchantress, who cast the original curse. I especially enjoyed the scenes with Mrs. Potts, whose sage advice was instrumental in encouraging Belle to embrace her role as Queen.

Overall, Rebel Rose is a wonderful start to the Queen’s Council series. It takes the beloved fairytale, skillfully adds in the backdrop of the beginning of the French Revolution, and introduces a few new characters who mingle perfectly and assist Belle and Lio on their destined path. There aren’t many details on forthcoming books in the series, but I’m looking forward to seeing where this leads.

Eventide, By Sarah Goodman ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, Young Adult Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 6th, 2020

336 Pages

Synopsis: MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps the most unsettling revelation of all is that her parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect…

A haunting tale of long-buried secrets, small-town scandal, and single-minded vengeance by talented debut novelist Sarah Goodman.

Eventide is the debut novel by Sarah Cooper, and while its slow burning suspense might not be for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed the eerie Southern gothic theme, as well as the fascinating characters and intriguing mystery. I have to be honest and say that Verity annoyed me at first with her rather know-it-all attitude, but there’s so much more behind that initial obnoxiousness. Likewise, there’s similar complexity with all the characters, even the villain who winds up deserving of a small amount of sympathy. The mystery and how everything ultimately comes together, kept me turning the pages even though there were some slow spots. There are some reviewers who have criticized that there weren’t enough fantasy/supernatural elements until the near the end, but I actually liked how they were tantalizingly kept under the surface. Overall, Eventide is an excellent YA debut by Cooper and I unhesitatingly recommend it. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue, by Fiona Davis ~ 5.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Dysfuncional Families, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Romance

Thanks to NetGalley and Dutton Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: August 4th, 2020

368 Pages

Synopsis: In nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis’s latest historical novel, a series of book thefts roil the iconic New York Public Library, leaving two generations of strong-willed women to pick up the pieces.

It’s 1913, and on the surface Laura Lyons couldn’t ask for more out of life—her husband is the superintendent of the New York Public Library, allowing their family to live in an apartment within the grand building, and they are blessed with two children. But headstrong, passionate Laura wants more, and when she takes a leap of faith and applies to the Columbia Journalism School, her world is cracked wide open. As her studies take her all over the city, she finds herself drawn to Greenwich Village’s new bohemia, where she discovers the Heterodoxy Club—a radical, all-female group in which women are encouraged to loudly share their opinions on suffrage, birth control, and women’s rights. Soon Laura finds herself questioning her traditional role as wife and mother. But when valuable books are stolen back at the library, threatening the home and the institution she loves, she’s forced to confront her shifting priorities head on…and may just lose everything in the process.

Eighty years later, in 1993, Sadie Donovan struggles with the legacy of her grandmother, the famous essayist, Laura Lyons, especially after she’s wrangled her dream job as a curator at the New York Public Library. But the job quickly becomes a nightmare when rare manuscripts, notes, and books for the exhibit Sadie’s running begin disappearing from the library’s famous Berg Collection. Determined to save both the exhibit and her career, the typically risk-adverse Sadie teams up with a private security expert to uncover the culprit. However things unexpectedly become personal when the investigation leads Sadie to some unwelcome truths about her own family heritage—truths that shed new light on the biggest tragedy in the library’s history.

The Lions of Fifth Avenue is undoubtedly going to be one of my favorite novels of 2020, thanks to the exceptional storytelling of Fiona Davis. Starting with every library lover’s dream setting of the New York Public Library, and including the time period’s socioeconomic disparities and stirrings of the women’s rights movement, Davis skillfully blends the historical with two fascinating mysteries that are connected, albeit decades apart. More often than not, when reading a book with two timelines, I find myself preferring one over the other, but that wasn’t the case here. I loved both Laura and her granddaughter Sadie, and was equally invested in both of their stories. I don’t want to give too many details away, so let me just say this book is a sumptuous feast for any reader who loves books, libraries, history, wonderful characters, and fascinating mysteries!

Angel of the Crows, by Katherine Addison ~ 3.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, LGBTQ, Mystery, Steampunk, Supernatural

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: June 23rd, 2020

432 Pages

Synopsis: Katherine Addison, author of The Goblin Emperor, returns with The Angel of the Crows, a fantasy novel of alternate 1880s London, where killers stalk the night and the ultimate power is naming.

This is not the story you think it is. These are not the characters you think they are. This is not the book you are expecting.

In an alternate 1880s London, angels inhabit every public building, and vampires and werewolves walk the streets with human beings in a well-regulated truce. A fantastic utopia, except for a few things: Angels can Fall and that Fall is like a nuclear bomb in both the physical and metaphysical world. And human beings remain human with all their kindness and greed and passions and murderous intent.

Jack the Ripper stalks the streets of this London too. But this London has an Angel. The Angel of the Crows.

Being a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was immediately intrigued by Angel of the Crows which began as fanfic. It’s not bad, but it could have used some more originality.

For the most part, what Katherine Addison has done, is taken some of Arthur Conan Doyle’s stories (A Study in Scarlet, The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, The Hound of the Baskervilles, and The Speckled Band), thrown in the Whitechapel murders by Jack the Ripper in the background, and added fantasy, dystopian, and steampunk elements. The problem is, despite these different themes the characters and stories don’t really divert much from the original source material. Some of the dialogue is even remarkably similar to BBCs Sherlock Holmes series.

For the first half of the book I was also a bit confused much of the time in regards to this alternate London. It took me a while to understand the difference between angels and their roles. I felt as though I had just been dropped and left to make my own way through this murky world.

Despite these issues, I did find much to enjoy in this rather curious tale. I did like Crow (Sherlock), and Doyle (Watson), and as much as I love ACD’s original stories, it must be admitted that some had racist and sexist connotations. Addison deftly removed these without taking anything away from the story. I also liked the addition of Dr. Doyle’s secrets that he’s hiding. They’re creatively done yet perfectly fit in with his personality. The story is also quite fast-paced and I never found myself bored.

Overall, while not perfect, Angel of the Crows is an entertaining journey back to Victorian London with English literature’s most endearing odd couple. I can easily see this being turned into a tv series like Showtime’s Penny Dreadful. For fans of the original Sherlock series, think of this as a nice reread with some interesting fantastical additions. If you’re not familiar with the four stories I mentioned, you may actually enjoy this even more.

 

The Paris Library, by Janet Skeslien Charles ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: February 2nd, 2021

409 Pages

Synopsis: Based on the true World War II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris, this is an unforgettable story of romance, friendship, family, and the power of literature to bring us together, perfect for fans of The Lilac Girls and The Paris Wife.

Paris, 1939: Young and ambitious Odile Souchet has it all: her handsome police officer beau and a dream job at the American Library in Paris. When the Nazis march into Paris, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear, including her beloved library. Together with her fellow librarians, Odile joins the Resistance with the best weapons she has: books. But when the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal.

Montana, 1983:  Lily is a lonely teenager looking for adventure in small-town Montana. Her interest is piqued by her solitary, elderly neighbor. As Lily uncovers more about her neighbor’s mysterious past, she finds that the share a love of language, the same longings, and the same intense jealousy, never suspecting that a dark secret from the past connects them.

A powerful novel that explores the consequences of our choices and the relationships that make us who we are—family, friends, and favorite authors—The Paris Library shows that extraordinary heroism can sometimes be found in the quietest of places.

A book about heroic librarians resisting Nazis that’s based on a true story! No surprise I immediately requested it is it? The American Library in Paris, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, has a fascinating history, but it’s what the library and its staff did under the leadership of Library Director Dorothy Reeder, during the German occupation of France that’s truly astounding. For more on this, visit https://americanlibraryinparis.org/history

As far as The Paris Library is concerned, it’s obvious that Janet Skeslien Charles did her due diligence in regards to the Library’s history and the Nazi occupation of Paris. Charles met some of the descendants of the historical figures who appear in her story, when she worked at the Library in 2010, and her love and fascination for the subject shows. The WWII passages are the best part of the book in my opinion. I loved the setting and all its thoughtful details such as the inclusion of the Dewey Decimal System and specific works of literature. I also loved seeing the war through the prism of the Library, its staff and its patrons. As this is historical fiction, a good portion of the book focuses on Odile’s life and relationships which I quite enjoyed as she’s a believable and charismatic character who adds a personal note to a chapter from history that I’m not sure many are familiar with.

The weakest parts of the book are when the story veers away from Odile’s wartime experiences and jumps to her life in 1983. I feel a little guilty about complaining, because there nothing inherently wrong with this timeline, except for it being slower in pace. It’s just that I was completely caught up in the events of Paris of 1939-1944, so much so that I found myself a tad resentful at being pulled away.

In her author’s note (which is a must read), Charles discusses her research and how this book came to be, but there’s two passages that stood out to me and I’d like to share them.

My goal in writing this book was to share this little-known chapter of WWII history and to capture the voices of the courageous librarians who defied the Nazis in order to help subscribers and to share a love of literature.

…A friend says she believes that in reading stories set in World War II, people like to ask what they would have done. I think a better question to ask is what can we do now to ensure that libraries and learning are accessible to all and that we treat people with dignity and compassion.

Without hesitation, I HIGHLY recommend The Paris Library to library, literature and history lovers, as well as all readers interested in learning a fascinating piece of WWII history. On a personal note, for a retired children’s librarian like me, for who libraries and librarians have played such an integral role in my life, reading about these heroic librarians was a privilege and absolutely thrilling.

The Degenerates, by J. Albert Mann ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Child Abuse, Downs Syndrome, Eugenics, Historical Fiction, Homophobia, Miscarriage, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Atheneum Books For Young Readers, for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: March 17th, 2020

288 Pages

Synopsis: In the tradition of Girl, Interrupted, this fiery historical novel follows four young women in the early 20th century whose lives intersect when they are locked up by a world that took the poor, the disabled, the marginalized—and institutionalized them for life.

The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded is not a happy place. The young women who are already there certainly don’t think so. Not Maxine, who is doing everything she can to protect her younger sister Rose in an institution where vicious attendants and bullying older girls treat them as the morons, imbeciles, and idiots the doctors have deemed them to be. Not Alice, either, who was left there when her brother couldn’t bring himself to support a sister with a club foot. And not London, who has just been dragged there from the best foster situation she’s ever had, thanks to one unexpected, life-altering moment. Each girl is determined to change her fate, no matter what it takes.

The setting for Degenerates was actually an institution in Massachusetts which operated from 1888-2014. Sadly, the eugenics movement during the 1920s was big in my hometown state and the appalling conditions at places like the Fernald State School and the Belchertown State School in my opinion remain a blight on the state. I won’t go into the history of the movement and schools, but there’s a wealth of information to be found online.

As for Degenerates, Mann has done a thorough job researching what it was like for these unfortunate children and adults who were locked up in these despicable places. Seen through the eyes of four girls: Maxine, her sister Rose, Alice, and London, it gives the reader an up close and personal look at what life was like for these prisoners. While the four of them come from disparate  backgrounds, they find they have much in common as they do their best to survive in this hellhole. Although the majority of secondary characters are pretty much stereotypical caricatures, it doesn’t really matter because in just the first few chapters you can’t help but be totally invested in the main characters and what they’re subjected to.

I have to be honest and say this isn’t the easiest book to read. In addition to the overall disgusting and despicable conditions at the school, there are difficult scenes, most notably, fourteen-year-old London having a miscarriage after being severely beaten by policemen. The ableist language used by the school staff and unfair testing on the residents had me despising these so-called medical professionals. Keeping all this in mind, Degenerates is a thoughtful exploration of what life was like for victims of the eugenics movement, and it’s a book I highly recommend for older YAs and adults. 

 

 

 

 

 

The Burning, by Laura Bates ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Social Issues, Supernatural, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 7th, 2020

352 Pages

Synopsis: A rumor is like fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it, but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back to life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames.

New school. Check.

New town. Check.

New last name. Check.

Social media profiles? Deleted.

Anna and her mother have moved hundreds of miles to put the past behind them. Anna hopes to make a fresh start and escape the harassment she’s been subjected to. But then rumors and whispers start, and Anna tries to ignore what is happening by immersing herself in a history project about Maggie, a local woman accused of witchcraft in the seventeenth century.

In her newfound friendships with Alisha, Cat, and Robin, as well as her connection with Maggie, Anna finds a voice to face her tormentors.

“We are the voices of the witches you could not burn. And we’re not putting up with it any more.”

From Laura Bates, internationally renowned feminist and founder of The Everyday Sexism Project, comes a debut novel that is a harrowing look at misogyny through the centuries. It’s a powerful call to action, reminding all readers of the implications of sexism and the role we can each play in ending it.

The Burning earnestly attempts to tackle a plethora of social issues including: depression, sexual assault, teen pregnancy, abortion, homophobia, child abuse, bullying, cyber-bullying, body-shaming, and slut-shaming. Then it throws in some light romance, a historical mystery, and a pinch of the supernatural. And, therein lies the problem. While well-meaning, there are so many ingredients it can’t figure out what it wants to be, and instead becomes a bit of a mess. Adding to this is some awkward dialogue which made the characters unbelievable at times. The reason I’m giving this 3 stars is because the pacing was consistent, and there are some touching moments that made me connect to some of the characters, especially Anna.

The Burning is Laura Bates’ debut, and I sincerely hope to see more from her in the future, because I think her writing shows promise. This however, comes across more as a mishmash of after school specials that adds little to any of the issues it touches upon.

 

 

The Ancestor, by Danielle Trussoni ~ 3.0 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Contemporary Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 7th 2020

368 Pages

Synopsis: It feels like a fairytale when Alberta “Bert” Monte receives a letter addressed to “Countess Alberta Montebianco” at her Hudson Valley, New York home that claims she’s inherited a noble title, money, and a castle in Italy. While Bert is more than a little skeptical, the mystery of her aristocratic family’s past, and the chance to escape her stressful life for a luxury holiday in Italy is too good to pass up.

At first her inheritance seems like a dream come true: a champagne-drenched trip on a private jet to Turin, Italy; lawyers with lists of artwork and jewels bequeathed to Bert; a helicopter ride to an ancestral castle nestled in the Italian Alps below Mont Blanc; a portrait gallery of ancestors Bert never knew existed; and a cellar of expensive vintage wine for Bert to drink.

But her ancestry has a dark side, and Bert soon learns that her family history is particularly complicated. As Bert begins to unravel the Montebianco secrets, she begins to realize her true inheritance lies not in a legacy of ancestral treasures, but in her very genes.

There was much that I loved about The Ancestor. The story is very creative and original, the characters are interesting, and the settings beautifully described. So why am I only giving this 3 stars? Without giving away any spoilers, there are things that happen that just defy logic. Okay, I have to share a semi-spoiler or else I’ll explode. Bert’s estranged husband (who’s still deeply in love with her despite the difficulties they’ve been happening), accompanies her to Italy. Yet after a minor argument he flies back home without a word to her, and she accepts this as normal. It doesn’t seem like a big thing, but for me it was jarring, and there are other scenes that left me almost as frustrated. So, while I ordinarily would have been oohing and aahing over the beautiful description of the French Alps, gasping in sympathy and horror over the revelations regarding Bert and her family legacy, and wondering with deep admiration how Danielle Trussoni came up with this tale, I was left extremely aggravated, especially at the ending. In my opinion, The Ancestor could have been a fantastic novel, but instead it’s left me somewhat disappointed over what it should have been.

 

The Body In The Garden(Lily Adler Mystery #1), by Katharine Schellman ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Adult Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Regency England

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: April 7th, 2020

Synopsis:

London 1815. Newly widowed Lily Adler returns to a society that frowns on independent women, but she’s no stranger to the glittering world of London’s upper crust. At a ball throw by her oldest friend, Lady Walter, she expects the scandals, gossip, and secrets. What she doesn’t expect, is the dead body in Lady Walter’s garden.

Lily happened to overhear the man just minutes before he was shot: young, desperate, and attempting blackmail, but she’s willing to leave the matter to the local constables, until Lord Walter bribes the investigating magistrate to drop the case. Stunned and confused Lily realizes she’s the only one with the key to catching the killer.

Aided by a roguish navy captain and a mysterious heiress from the West Indies, Lily sets out to discover whether her friend’s husband is mixed up in blackmail and murder. The unlikely team tries to conceal their investigation behind the whirl of London’s social season, but the dead man knew secrets about people with power. Secrets that they would kill to keep hidden. Now Lily will have to uncover the truth, before she becomes the killer’s next target.

My third book of 2020, and another pretty cover. I’m happy to say that after a slightly slow beginning, The Body In The Garden more than lives up to its appealing packaging.

The best way to describe Lily Adler is to say she’s like a female Sherlock Holmes, only without his annoying attributes. She could have come across as too good to be true, but the author skillfully makes her likable and relatable whilst also being a woman very much ahead of her time. Captain Jack Hartley and Ofelia Oswald are equally appealing and well-rounded characters who perfectly complete the team. I’m looking forward to seeing how the relationship between them continues to develop in subsequent books. While I’m not a historian, I think Schellman credibly captures Regency London in her physical descriptions and the way Society worked. Best of all, the mystery was intriguing and kept me guessing as to the villain’s identity almost right up to the very end.

Overall, The Body In The Garden is a promising beginning to this new historical mystery series. I highly recommend this to fans of the genre, particularly if you like authors such as Deanna Raybourn and Tasha Alexander. 

The Silvered Serpents (The Gilded Wolves #2), by Roshani Chokshi ~ 4.5 Stars

Tags

Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery, YA Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: September 22, 2020

416 Pages

Synopsis: Returning to the dark and glamorous world of her New York Times instant bestseller, The Gilded Wolves, Roshani Chokshi dazzles us with another riveting tale as full of mystery and danger as ever. 

They are each other’s fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope.

Severin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost—one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Severin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumored to grant its possessor the power of God.

Their hunt lures them far from Paris and into the icy heart of Russia, where crystalline ice animals stalk forgotten mansions, broken goddesses carry deadly secrets, and a string of unsolved murders makes the crew question whether an ancient myth is a myth after all. As hidden secrets come to the light and the ghosts of the past catch up to them, the crew will discover new dimensions of themselves. But what they find out may lead them down paths they never imagined.

A tale of love and betrayal as the crew risks their lives for one last job.

The publication date for The Silvered Serpents is several months away, but as I was approved for it on NetGalley three months ago, I feel as though I should post an initial review. I will be sure to repost this closer to September 22, 2020 though. I really enjoyed The Gilded Wolves, so I’ve been looking forward to reading the sequel. After finishing it in just over three hours, I’m happy to say it’s a wonderful follow-up that beautifully builds upon its predecessor. Chokshi’s writing is lush and exquisitely detailed, which helps draw you into the imaginative world she’s created. The characters continue to grow and allowing them each their own POV work perfectly in bringing them all to life. All the adventure and excitement of the first book is doubled here, and that had me flying through the pages. My one complaint is I thought the ending was rushed, but the cliffhanger has me looking forward to the last book which unfortunately won’t be out until 2021. I highly recommend this to readers who loved the previous book, and if you haven’t read The Guilded Wolves, but you enjoy exciting adventures filled with mystery and magic, you need to pick this up ASAP!